章节研读
Wisdom 3 — Entreaties for Peace and Holofernes' Advance
Inhabitants surrender to Holofernes and offer tribute; he campaigns along the coast, destroys shrines, and advances toward Esdraelon near Judea.
经文
- 1.为求和平 他们便派遣使者求和说，Entreaties for Peace So they sent messengers to sue for peace, and said,
- 2.看哪，我们是大王尼布甲尼撒的仆人，现在都伏在地上在你面前，你愿意怎么办就怎么办我们。“Behold, we the servants of Nebuchadnez′zar, the Great King, lie prostrate before you. Do with us whatever you will.
- 3.看哪，我们的建筑和全部的土地，以及所有的麦田和我们的牛群羊群，以及所有的羊圈和帐篷，都摆在你面前，你可以随意处置。Behold, our buildings, and all our land, and all our wheat fields, and our flocks and herds, and all our sheepfolds with their tents, lie before you; do with them whatever you please.
- 4.我们的城邑和城邑中的居民都任你处置，我们是你的奴仆，求你愿意怎样就怎样待他们。Our cities also and their inhabitants are your slaves; come and deal with them in any way that seems good to you.”
- 5.这些人来到何乐弗尼面前，将这些事都告诉了他。The men came to Holofer′nes and told him all this.
- 6.他便带领军队下到海边，在山顶的城邑设立防御阵地，又从其中挑选精壮的人作为他的帮手。Then he went down to the seacoast with his army and stationed garrisons in the hilltop cities and took picked men from them as his allies.
- 7.这些人和周围乡村所有的人都用花环、舞蹈和鼓乐器欢迎他。And these people and all in the country round about welcomed him with garlands and dances and tambourines.
- 8.他拆毁了他们所有的庙宇，砍伐了他们的圣林，因为他受命要毁灭这地所有的神明，好使各国都敬拜尼布甲尼撒，所有的方言和部落都称他为神。And he demolished all their shrines and cut down their sacred groves; for it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnez′zar only, and all their tongues and tribes should call upon him as god.
- 9.他来到以斯德拉伦边界，靠近多坦，面对着犹大大山的山脊；Then he came to the edge of Esdrae′lon, near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea;
- 10.他在甲薛和斯基陀波利斯之间扎营，整整一个月的时间都在那里，为他的军队收集所有的补给。here he camped between Geba and Scythop′olis, and remained for a whole month in order to assemble all the supplies for his army.
这段经文的意思
Wisdom 3 opens with the inhabitants around Bethulia and the coastal plain sending messengers to sue for peace before Holofernes. The text gives a verbatim petition: the speakers identify themselves as servants of Nebuchadnezzar, the Great King, lie prostrate before him, and hand over their buildings, land, wheat fields, flocks, herds, sheepfolds, and cities for him to do with as he pleases. This is not negotiation but total capitulation framed as voluntary submission, so that the listener Holofernes receives the report as a ready-made surrender rather than a counter-offer.
The men carry this petition to Holofernes, and the narrative immediately turns to his response. He descends to the seacoast, stations garrisons in the hilltop cities, and takes picked men from them as allies, so that the previously submitting populations now serve as auxiliary troops. The welcoming of Holofernes is described with garlands, dances, and tambourines, which together signal festival-style reception by a local population that has chosen compliance over resistance.
The chapter closes with a destructive sweep: Holofernes demolishes shrines and cuts down sacred groves because, as the text states, it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnezzar only and all tongues and tribes should call upon him as god. He then reaches the edge of Esdraelon near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea, and camps between Geba and Scythopolis for a month to assemble supplies — placing the Assyrian army directly on the border of the territory Judith will defend.
背景
Wisdom 3 follows directly from Wisdom 2, in which Holofernes, the general of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, decided to take vengeance on the nations that had scorned his master's command and to cut off every godless nation from the face of the earth. The provided material gives no text before or after chapter 3, so the chapter functions within the book as a transition: it converts the stated threat of chapter 2 into a visible military reality. The supplied curated_note labels the broader section by the heading Souls of the righteous in God's hand, indicating that the book's framing contrasts the fate of the faithful with the violent advance described in this chapter.
Within the chapter itself, the only geographic and political data supplied are the coastal campaign, the seizure of hilltop cities, the march to the edge of Esdraelon near Dothan, and the camp between Geba and Scythopolis fronting the great ridge of Judea. These details situate the Assyrian army at the entrance to the central Palestinian hill country, which is where the later resistance centered on Bethulia and Judith will be set. Because no cross_references and no original_words were provided, no further theological, historical, or lexical claims can be grounded in the supplied material.
常见问题
Who sends the messengers in Wisdom 3 and what do they offer?
The chapter states that they sent messengers to sue for peace, identifying themselves as the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, the Great King, lying prostrate before Holofernes. They offer their buildings, land, wheat fields, flocks, herds, sheepfolds with their tents, and their cities and inhabitants, telling him to do with them whatever he pleases.
How does Holofernes respond to the petition in this chapter?
According to the text, he went down to the seacoast with his army, stationed garrisons in the hilltop cities, and took picked men from them as his allies. The local population welcomed him with garlands, dances, and tambourines, and he demolished their shrines and cut down their sacred groves.
Where does Holofernes position his army at the end of the chapter?
The chapter places him at the edge of Esdraelon, near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea, where he camped between Geba and Scythopolis and remained for a whole month to assemble all the supplies for his army.